Socio economic perspectives on consumer engagement and buying behavior

Titles in this SeriesFor a list of additional titles in this series, please visit: www.igi-global.com Strategic Uses of Social Media for Improved Customer Retention Wafaa Al-Rabayah Inde

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Socio-Economic

Perspectives on

Consumer Engagement

and Buying Behavior

Hans Ruediger Kaufmann

University of Applied Management Studies Mannheim, Germany & University

of Nicosia, Cyprus

Mohammad Fateh Ali Khan Panni

City University, Bangladesh

A volume in the Advances in Marketing, Customer

Relationship Management, and E-Services

(AMCRMES) Book Series

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Published in the United States of America by

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Copyright © 2017 by IGI Global All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without written permission from the publisher Product or company names used in this set are for identification purposes only Inclusion of the names of the products or companies does not indicate a claim of ownership by IGI Global of the trademark or registered trademark.

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This book is published in the IGI Global book series Advances in Marketing, Customer Relationship Management, and Services (AMCRMES) (ISSN: 2327-5502; eISSN: 2327-5529)

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E-The Advances in Marketing, Customer Relationship Management, and E-Services (AMCRMES) Book Series (ISSN 2327-5502) is published

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• E-Service Innovation

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The Advances in Marketing, Customer Relationship Management, and E-Services (AMCRMES) Book Series addresses success factors for customer relationship management, marketing, and electronic

services and its performance outcomes This collection of reference source covers aspects of consumer behavior and marketing business strategies aiming towards researchers, scholars, and practitioners in the fields of marketing management

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ISSN:2327-5502 EISSN:2327-5529

Eldon Y Li National Chengchi University, Taiwan & California

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Advances in Marketing, Customer Relationship Management, and E-Services (AMCRMES) Book Series

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Titles in this Series

For a list of additional titles in this series, please visit: www.igi-global.com

Strategic Uses of Social Media for Improved Customer Retention

Wafaa Al-Rabayah (Independent Researcher, Jordan) Rawan Khasawneh (Jordan University of Science and nology, Jordan) Rasha Abu-shamaa (Yarmouk University, Jordan) and Izzat Alsmadi (Boise State University, USA) Business Science Reference • copyright 2017 • 311pp • H/C (ISBN: 9781522516866) • US $180.00 (our price)

Tech-Analyzing Children’s Consumption Behavior Ethics, Methodologies, and Future Considerations

Jony Haryanto (President University, Indonesia) and Luiz Moutinho (Dublin City University, Ireland)

Handbook of Research on Leveraging Consumer Psychology for Effective Customer Engagement

Norazah Mohd Suki (Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia)

Handbook of Research on Strategic Retailing of Private Label Products in a Recovering Economy

Mónica Gómez-Suárez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain) and María Pilar Martínez-Ruiz (University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain)

Handbook of Research on Consumerism and Buying Behavior in Developing Nations

Ayantunji Gbadamosi (University of East London, UK)

Managing Public Relations and Brand Image through Social Media

Anurag Singh (Banaras Hindu University, India) and Punita Duhan (Meera Bai Institute of Technology, India) Business Science Reference • copyright 2016 • 353pp • H/C (ISBN: 9781522503323) • US $195.00 (our price)

Handbook of Research on Promotional Strategies and Consumer Influence in the Service Sector

Upendra Singh Panwar (Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science, India) Raj Kumar (Banaras Hindu University, India) and Nilanjan Ray (Netaji Mahavidyalaya, India)

Global Marketing Strategies for the Promotion of Luxury Goods

Fabrizio Mosca (University of Turin, Italy) and Rosalia Gallo (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain) Business Science Reference • copyright 2016 • 329pp • H/C (ISBN: 9781466699588) • US $200.00 (our price)

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List of Reviewers

AbuZafarMahmudulHaque, City University Bangladesh, Bangladesh

DursunYener,Istanbul Medeniyet University, Turkey

SandraMariaCorreiaMariaCorreiaLoureiro,Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Portugal

& Business Research Unit (BRU/UNIDE), Portugal

S.M.RiadShams,Ural Federal University, Russia

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Table of Contents

Preface xvi Acknowledgment xx

Section 1 Social Perspectives of Consumer Behavior and Engagement Chapter 1

Lisa Watson, University of Regina, Canada

Anne M Lavack, Thompson Rivers University, Canada

Chapter 4

CustomerSatisfactionintheConsumptionofGreenProducts 59

Violeta Sima, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiești, Romania

Ileana Georgiana Gheorghe, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiești, Romania

Section 2 Consumer Behavior and Engagement in the Nexus of Marketing and Technology

Chapter 5

Marketing4.0:EnhancingConsumer-BrandEngagementthroughBigDataAnalysis 94

Ana Isabel Jiménez-Zarco, Open University of Catalonia, Spain

Asher Rospigliosi, Brighton University, UK

María Pilar Martínez-Ruiz, University of Castilla la Mancha, Spain

Alicia Izquierdo-Yusta, University of Burgos, Spain

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Tuure Tuunanen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Michael David Myers, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Chapter 8

ConsumerInformationSystemsasServices:StudyofEmergingIPTVMarketinNewZealand 154

Lesley Gardner, University of Auckland, Australia

Martin Bastek, DEVK, Germany

Chapter 9

AbouttheE-commerceActivitiesinFinnishLapland-PerspectivesofConsumersand

Entrepreneurs:E-CommerceinLapland 175

Rauno Rusko, University of Lapland, Finland

Joni Pekkala, University of Lapland, Finland

Section 3 Consumer Behavior and Engagement from a Macro Economic Context

Chapter 10

DoStockMarketsComoveinEmergingEconomies? 197

Sadullah Çelik, Marmara University, Turkey

Emel Baydan, Marmara University, Turkey

Chapter 11

NowcastingCapacityUtilizationinTurkey:AContinuousWaveletAnalysis 214

Özlem Taşseven, Doğuş University, Turkey

Section 4 Consumer Behavior and Engagement: Industry and Corporate Cases

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Chapter 14

TheAuralNatureofAtmosphereinaRetailSetting 290

Sanda Renko, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Tomislav Gregur, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Chapter 15

EnhancingRetailer-ConsumersRelationshipthroughEverydaySustainability:McDonald’sin

Italy 312

Elena Candelo, University of Turin, Italy

Cecilia Casalegno, University of Turin, Italy

Chiara Civera, University of Turin, Italy

Chapter 16

ConqueringtheDigitalCustomer:HowZaraIsConfrontingtheDigitalInnovationRevolution 334

Eric Viardot, EADA Business School, Spain

Petra A Nylund, University of Vic, Spain

Compilation of References 355 About the Contributors 412 Index 418

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Detailed Table of Contents

Preface xvi Acknowledgment xx

Section 1 Social Perspectives of Consumer Behavior and Engagement Chapter 1

TheConceptof“Consumerism”fromaConsumerActivistPerspective 1

Ioanna Papasolomou, University of Nicosia, Cyprus

Thechapterdefinestheconceptof‘consumerism’anddiscussesitsdifferentperspectiveswhichemergedduringitshistoricaldevelopment.Theauthoradoptsthesecondperspectiveofconsumerismwhichpositsthatconsumerismisamovementaimedatsafeguardingtheinterestsandrightsofconsumers.Thisviewiscloselyrelatedtotheconceptofsocialresponsibility(CSR)andsubsequentlysocietalmarketing.Thereisevidenceintheliteraturetosuggestthatinaneraofincreasingsocialproblemsandenvironmentalchallenges,thereisaneedforCSRandsustainablemarketing.Infact,theseconddefinitionofconsumerismisinextricablylinkedwithCSRandsocietalmarketing.Thechapterisconceptualinnatureandprovidesareviewofsomeofthelatesttrendsinthefieldsuchasboycotting,sustainableconsumption,internetactivism,anti-branding,Fairtrade,greenconsumerism,andsustainablemarketing.Thediscussionisconcludedbyprovidingsomesuggestionstopractitionersanddirectionsforfutureresearch

Chapter 2

SocialImpactinConsumerBehaviour-ConsumerBoycottsasaConsumerismActivity: 22

Dursun Yener, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Turkey

Consumerismisnotanewconceptformarketing,butitsimportanceisgrowingintherecentyears.Researchershavestudiedthephenomenonofconsumerismfromwithindifferentdimensions.However,itsrelationshipwithsocialimpacttheoryandconsumerboycottshasnotbeendealtwithaccurately.Socialimpactcanbedefinedastheeffectofpeopleonotherpeople.Aconsumerboycottisatypeofconsumerbehaviourinwhichconsumerscollectivelyprefernottousetheirpurchasingpowertowardsaproduct,brandorallproductsofacountryandboycottthem.Motivationsforparticipatinginboycottsdifferinaccordancewithvariousfactorssuchasconsumers’beliefs,needsorattitudes.Organizingaboycottandcallingforpeople’sparticipationismucheasiertodaythanitusedtobeinthepast.Since

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consumerboycottsisatypeofconsumerbehaviourandconsumersareaffectedvariousfactorsincludingpeopleintheirfamilyorfriendsormembersintheirreferencegroups,theycanbethoughtaderivationofsocialimpact

Chapter 3

FuelEfficientVehicles:TheRoleofSocialMarketing 36

Lisa Watson, University of Regina, Canada

Anne M Lavack, Thompson Rivers University, Canada

Consumershavebeenslowtoswitchtomorefuelefficientvehicles,inspiteofthethreatofafutureglobalshortageoffossilfuels.Tounderstandconsumerreluctancetoadopthybridautomotivetechnology,thischapterbeginsbyreviewingconsumerdecision-makingwithregardtoconsumerautomotivepurchases.Weexaminethemarketforfuelefficientvehicles(FEVs)andalternatefuelvehicles(AFVs),includingadiscussionofconsumerwillingnesstotradepersonalcomfortinordertobuymorefuelefficientvehicles,andconsumerpricesensitivitywithregardtopurchasinghigher-pricedalternativefuelvehiclesincludinghybrid-electricvehicles.Wediscussthetenuouslinkbetweenenvironmentalattitudesandbehavior,andoutlinetheroleofsocialmarketingincreatingbehaviorchangerelatingtoautomotivepurchasedecisions

Chapter 4

CustomerSatisfactionintheConsumptionofGreenProducts 59

Violeta Sima, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiești, Romania

Ileana Georgiana Gheorghe, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiești, Romania

Thischapteraimedtoidentifythosefactorsthatdeterminethegreenconsumersatisfaction,havingastheemergingpointtheconsumerbehaviordefinitionandthesustainabledevelopmentconcept.Theauthorsproposeanewapproachofthedimensionsoftheevaluationmodelforcustomersatisfactionincludinganewone,calledTheGreenDimension.Animportantgoalwasidentifyingthedriversoftheconsumerpurchasing.Theauthorsidentifiedthreemainareasofthegreendimensionofcustomersatisfaction.TheyarerelatedtoCompany,Product/service,andPrice.Thensomeconsiderationsregardinganintegratedapproachofstrategicmixfroma‘green’perspectivehavebeenpresented.AccordingtoresearchfromBostonConsultingGroup,inordertoobtainaGreenAdvantage,companiesshouldenhancetheirstrategicmixtakingintoconsiderationsgreenplanning,greenprocesses,greenproduct,andgreenpromotion.Theauthorsaddedtwomoreelements,namelypeopleandeco-efficiency,resulting“TheGreenStrategyMix”

Section 2 Consumer Behavior and Engagement in the Nexus of Marketing and Technology

Chapter 5

Marketing4.0:EnhancingConsumer-BrandEngagementthroughBigDataAnalysis 94

Ana Isabel Jiménez-Zarco, Open University of Catalonia, Spain

Asher Rospigliosi, Brighton University, UK

María Pilar Martínez-Ruiz, University of Castilla la Mancha, Spain

Alicia Izquierdo-Yusta, University of Burgos, Spain

Marketingevolvesinparallelwithtechnology.Duringthelastfiveyears,Marketing3.0hasbecomethemostinnovativemarketingapproach,butofgrowing,isresearchfocusingonMarketing4.0:themarketingofbigdata.Muchhasbeenspeculated,butacademicjournalshavepublishedlittleaboutMarketing

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4.0.Maybe,becausethetotalunderstandingofMarketing4.0requires:firstly,adepthknowledgeabouttheevolutionofmarketing,especiallyaboutMarketing3.0,andsecondly,ananalysisofhowarangeoftechnology–notonlytheInternetandsocialmedia-canbeusedtodesignmarketingstrategiesthatenhancethebrand-consumerrelationship.Takingintoaccounthowconsumers’behaviorhasbeenchangingsincethebeginningofthiscentury,thischapterseekstoreviewMarketing4.0concepts,analyzinghowbigdatacanbeusedtoenhancetheconsumer-brandrelationship

Chapter 6

EffectiveSurveillanceManagementduringServiceEncounters:AConceptualFramework 118

Angelo Bonfanti, University of Verona, Italy

Thischapteraimstotheoreticallyexamineeffectivesurveillancemanagement(ESM)duringserviceencounterswithintheservicescapeandprovideaconceptualframeworkforthestudyofthistopicinaservicemanagementperspective.Itanalysesantecedents,dimensionsandeffectsofESM.Thisstudyespeciallyproposesasantecedentsbothimprovingcustomerserviceexperiencealongwithmeetingcustomers’needforsecurityandimplementingasurveillanceservice-orientedstrategythatincludessecureandsafeservicescapedesign,deterrentcommunication,andtrainedandmotivatedsecuritystaff.ThischaptersuggestsalsothatthedimensionsofESM(customer-physicalserviceenvironmentencounters,customer-technological surveillance systems encounters, and customer-security staff encounters)contributetoenhancingservicequality,experiencequality,andstaffproductivity.Theintegrationofthesedimensions,antecedents,andeffectscreateatheoreticallygroundedframeworkthatcanserveasastartingpointforfuturestudiesaboutthistopicinthefieldofservicemanagement

Chapter 7

ConsumerInformationSystemsResearchAgenda:MeetingChallengesforInteractiveTelevisionServiceDevelopment 140

Michael David Myers, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Wesuggestthatanewtypeofinformationsystemappearstobeincreasinginimportance,thatofconsumerinformationsystems.Comparedwithtraditionalinformationsystemsdevelopmentapproaches,wherethefocusisonimprovingtheefficiencyandeffectivenessoforganizationalprocesses,designforconsumerinformationsystemsfocusesmoreontheenjoyment,pleasureandpurchasesoftheconsumer.Wearguethattheshiftinfocusfromuserstoconsumersinconsumerinformationsystemscallsforasignificantre-appraisalofourcurrentinformationsystemsdevelopmentmethods.Hence,thischapterproposesanewresearchagendaforISresearchersfocusingonthedevelopmentofconsumerinformationsystems.Theexpectedcontributionsincludenewinsightsintoeffectivemanagementprocessesforservicedesign,abetterunderstandingofissuesofintegrationofinformationsystemsdevelopmentpracticesusedtodevelopconsumerinformationsystems,andthedevelopmentofmethodsforrequirementsdiscoveryforserviceinnovation

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Chapter 8

ConsumerInformationSystemsasServices:StudyofEmergingIPTVMarketinNewZealand 154

Lesley Gardner, University of Auckland, Australia

Martin Bastek, DEVK, Germany

ConsumerInformationSystems(CIS)areatypeofinformationsystemsthatprovidesservicestoconsumersinsteadofaddressingusersintraditionalorganizationalsettings,suchasInternetbasedtelevision.Servicestypicallyinvolveatrade-offbetweenachievinghighserviceproductivityandquality.Theuseofservicemasscustomizationtosuccessfullyaddresstheseissuesofbothproductivityandqualityinaservicecontextisproposed.WesuggestthatthedevelopmentofConsumerInformationSystemsasServices(CISaS)mayachievesuchservicemasscustomization.ThispaperpresentsaconceptualframeworkandinvestigateshowitappliestoasetofInternetProtocolTelevision(IPTV)offeringsasanemergingmarketinNewZealand

Chapter 9

AbouttheE-commerceActivitiesinFinnishLapland-PerspectivesofConsumersand

Entrepreneurs:E-CommerceinLapland 175

Rauno Rusko, University of Lapland, Finland

Joni Pekkala, University of Lapland, Finland

ThischapterintroducesE-commerceactivitiesofconsumersandentrepreneursinFinnishLapland.Thischapterintroducesinadditiontothechallenges,whichSMEsfacewhilestartingE-commerceactivityintheNorthernFinlandcontext,alsothestateoftheE-commerceamongconsumers.Basingontheresults,sixinterviewsandtheoutcomesoftwoquestionnaires,bothentrepreneursandconsumersmeetthefirststepsofE-commercechallenging.ThemostimportantquestioniswhatistheattainableincrementalvalueforthefirmsandconsumersviaE-commerceactivities?EntrepreneursmeetbothpushingandpullingreasonsforthefirststepsofE-commerce.ConsumershavealsonoticedtheincrementalvalueofE-commerce.Mostlytheexperiencesofconsumersareencouraging.E-commerceenlargestheavailableservicesofsparselypopulatedareasofLapland

Section 3 Consumer Behavior and Engagement from a Macro Economic Context

Chapter 10

DoStockMarketsComoveinEmergingEconomies? 197

Sadullah Çelik, Marmara University, Turkey

Emel Baydan, Marmara University, Turkey

GreatRecessionhasbroughttheneedtomodelandassessthefinancialmarketswithunconventionalapproaches.Thenatureofconsumerbehaviorinfinancialmarketshasbecomecrucialasrealandfinancialsectorcomovingovertimewasadreamofnorationality.Theunionofconsumerslookingforhigherwealthandspeculativestockmarketparticipantswasnotasustainablecase.But,whathappenedtotheconsumers/investorsinemergingeconomies?ThischapterassessesthebehaviorofemergingstockmarketsduringtheturmoilusingweeklydataforBrazil,China,India,Indonesia,Russia,SouthAfricaandTurkeywithUSasthebenchmarkforJanuary2003–March2014.Twounconventionalmethodsareusedforcheckingasymmetriccontagion;thewaveletcomovementandfrequencydomaincausality.

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Thefindingsshowthatmarketswithratherhighconcentrationofforeigninvestorsarehighlyaffectedbutconsumerswerenotduetosmallerparticipation.Theasymmetriccontagionargumentisverifiedforsomeemergingmarketsasconsumers/investorssufferedasmuchasanyothermarketparticipant

Chapter 11

NowcastingCapacityUtilizationinTurkey:AContinuousWaveletAnalysis 214

Özlem Taşseven, Doğuş University, Turkey

Capacityutilizationinmacroeconomicsisalwaysrelatedtoinflationrateandunemploymentlevel.However,theGreatRecessionhastaughtusthattheremighthavebeenotherfactorsconsideredindeterminingand/orbedeterminedbycapacityutilization.InordertofurtherenhancePhillipsCurverelationshipunconventionalvariablessuchasfinancialandsurveyvariablesareconsidered.Therelationshipbetweencapacityutilizationratesandseveralrealvariablessuchasindustrialproduction,grossdomesticproductgrowthrate,unemploymentrate,consumerexpenditures,financialvariablessuchasreturnonBIST100index,exchangerateofcurrencybasket,interestrates,surveyvariablessuchasconsumerconsumptionindex,businesstendencysurveyandsurveyofexpectationsisinvestigatedusingdatabetween2006and2015forTurkey.Alloftheabove-mentionedvariablesindicatetheproductioncapacityandtheirrepercussionsonothermacrovariablesexceptthelevelofstandardofliving.Wealsohighlighttherepercussionsofproductioncapacityconcerningwelfarestate

Section 4 Consumer Behavior and Engagement: Industry and Corporate Cases

Chapter 13

TheEffectoftheMarketingStrategyinPerformanceofthePharmaceuticalSector 278

Irene Samanta, Piraeus University of Applied Sciences, Greece

TheaimofthisresearchistoexaminetheimpactofMarketingStrategypossessesinpharmaceuticalsectorinGreeceanddefinethecompetitiveandorganizationalbenefitsaccumulatefromtheprocedure.A quantitative survey was conducted with a sample of pharmaceutical firms. The method used isFactoranalysisandaMultivariableRegressionModelinordertoforecastthetotalperformanceofthe

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organization.TheimportanceoftheMarketingStrategyinthecurrenteconomicconditionsprovidesapracticalindicationofmarketingdecisionmakingandifmanagedcarefullyandcloselymonitoreditcanofferanumberofdirectcompetitivebenefitstotheindustries

Chapter 14

TheAuralNatureofAtmosphereinaRetailSetting 290

Sanda Renko, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Tomislav Gregur, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Thepotentialinfluenceofmusicinelicitingorganicreactionshasbeenappreciatedsinceancienttimes.Knowingthatconsumerstypicallyreceiveexposuretomanyhoursofmusiceachday,scientistsandmarketershaverecognizeditspotentialinconsumerbehaviouranddecisionmaking.Literaturesuggeststhatcustomerslikehearingmusicwhentheyshop,andfeelthattheretailerprovidingmusiccaresaboutthem.Retailershavetoworkdiligentlytokeeptheirstoresfavourableinthemindofconsumers.Bothpractitionersandresearcherssupportedtheargumentthatmusicisabeneficialelementintheuseofatmosphericsinbusiness.Basedontheempiricalresearchthischapterprovidesaninsightintotheroleofmusicasanimportantelementinretailstoreatmosphere.Thechapterexplainsthecomplexcharacterofmusic,itsclassificationsandkeyvariables,andinteractionwithotheratmosphericcues.Thechapterconcludesthatmusichasasignificantinfluenceonconsumerbehavior,andthatretailersmustensurethattheyareplayingmusicthattheirtargetmarketslikeintheirstores

Chapter 15

EnhancingRetailer-ConsumersRelationshipthroughEverydaySustainability:McDonald’sin

Italy 312

Elena Candelo, University of Turin, Italy

Cecilia Casalegno, University of Turin, Italy

Chiara Civera, University of Turin, Italy

ThechapteraimsatinvestigatingtheeffectsthattheCommunicationofCorporateSocialResponsibilityand Sustainability exerts on consumers’ perception considering the fast food industry in Italy. theMcDonald’s case study has been developed through managerial interviews and formal documentsanalysisinordertoreportonitsstrategiesforCSRactivitiesimplementationandtheircommunicationinItaly.Moreover,throughsurveysconductedinItaly,thecasestudyhasbeentestedonaparticulargroupofyoungconsumers-GenerationZ-lessinfluencedbythepastMcDonald’sactivityinordertodemonstratehowcommunicationsofsustainabilityarebetterbelievedandperceived,whenabrandhasalongtraditionofmisperceptions

Chapter 16

ConqueringtheDigitalCustomer:HowZaraIsConfrontingtheDigitalInnovationRevolution 334

Eric Viardot, EADA Business School, Spain

Petra A Nylund, University of Vic, Spain

Thiscasestudyillustratestheeffectivenessofpursuingacustomercentricmarketingapproachinordertoachievelongtermstrategicsuccessandglobalmarketleadershipinthefashionindustry.ThecasestudyprovidesthemostsignificantelementsofZara’shistory.Thenitdescribesthecompetitiveenvironment.NextitrevealshowZarahassetupaunique,lean,andagilesupplychainstrategyinordertodeliver

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newproductsonaveryfrequentbasisandfasterthananyofitscompetitors,asfashioncustomersexpectconstantchanges.Thenthecasestudydetailsthecustomercentricmarketingstrategy,withtheuseofcustomersasthesourceoftheinspirationforfashiondesign,thecentralroleofthestorestobuildaveryhighleveloftrustwithitscustomers,whichisusedbyZaratomakeadistinctivebrandstrategy.Finally,thecasestudydiscussesthenewchallengesofZaratoadaptitscustomercentricmarketingstrategytothedigitalmarket

Compilation of References 355 About the Contributors 412 Index 418

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Preface

Inthismodernnewtrendofmarketingpracticesmarketingdimensionsarechangingandthenewhorizonsareappearinginconsumerbehavioralcontexts/perspectives.Asconsumerbehavioristhecornerstoneofanymarketingdomain,thestrategies,tools,conceptsandservicesofconsumerengagementandtheirbuyingbehaviorarenowbeinginfluencedbyavarietyofnewemergingfactorsandantecedents.ThisresearchorientedbookwilldelineatesomenewemergingtrendsrelatingtoconsumerbuyingbehaviorwhichareenhancedversionsofthepreviouslypublishedIGIGlobalchaptersthoughtherearethreenewfreshsubmissionswheretwochaptersarerelatedtoconsumerbehaviorandengagementfromamacroeconomiccontextandoneonmarketingstrategyinfluenceonpharmaceuticalsector.Tothisvein,thisbookisillustratingsomeinterestingnewperspectiveslike:consumerbehavioronsomebasicsocialperspectives,frommacroperspectives,innovative,digitalandtechnologicalplatforminthecontextofsomeindustryandcorporatecases.Thisbookisprovidingsomeinsightsonnewdimensionsandemergingcontextsonthesocioeconomicperspectivesontheconsumerengagementandbehavior.Thebookhasmainlyastronginternationalorientationrepresentingabout29chapterauthorsfromaround13countrieslikeCanada,Croatia,Cyprus,Finland,Germany,Greece,Italy,NewZealand,Portugal,Romania,Spain,Turkey,andUK

Thebookiscontributingintheareaordisciplinebyprovidingsomenewtrendytopicsonsomeverynovelandinnovativeperspectivesofconsumerengagementandbuyingbehaviorwhichillustratesanoverallpicturefromthesocio-economicperspectiveaswell.Inthisregard,thebookdemonstratessomeinterestingcontextslikefundamentalconceptsonconsumerism,consumerboycottsoractivism,customersatisfactionandconsumptionofgreenproducts.Thebookalsocontainssomevitalchaptersintheareaconsumerbehaviorandengagementfrommarketingandtechnologicalperspectivelikemarketing4.0,consumerinformationsystem,surveillanceinserviceencounters,e-commerceetc.Inadditiontothisthebookrevealsaboutconsumerengagementandbuyingbehaviorfrommacroeconomicperspectiveandfinallythebookdelineatessomeinterestingcasesontourismsector,pharmaceuticalsector,retailingsectorandtechnologicalsector

TARGET AUDIENCE

Thebookcanbeseenasacollectionofsomeconceptual,empiricalandcasestudiesontrendycontextsofconsumerengagementandbuyingbehaviorinthecanvasofsocioeconomiccontext.Asaresult,thebookisexpectedtoserveasahighlevelreferencetotheUniversitylibrary,researchersandresearchstudents.Sincethetopicofthebookcoverssomenewinnovativedimensionsonconsumerbehavioralxvi

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studies,itwillalsohelptoprepareanupper-levelcoursesupplementinthemarketingdisciplinelikeconsumerbehavior,marketingmanagement,strategicmarketingorinternational/globalmarketing.Finally,thebookrevealsthesenewmodernperspectives,toolsandconceptsonconsumerbehavior,thus,itwillbeausefulresourceandreferencetothemarketingpractitioners,forexample,intheareaofMarketingManagement,Innovative,StrategicMarketingandMarketingCommunications

OBJECTIVES/PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK

Thisbookcontainscuttingedgecontributionsonsomenewperspectivesondimensionsonconsumerengagementandbuyingbehaviorfromboththeoretical/conceptualcontextandcorporateandindustrialcases.Hence,itwillserveasacomprehensiveguideandreferencetobothacademicsandpractitionerssinceitwillexpandtheirunderstandingontheroleofthesedifferentcuttingedgeconsumerbehaviorconceptsandstudiesaslearningtoolsfortheacademics,marketingstudentsandmarketingpractitioners.Thebookcontains16chapterscriticallyengagingthereaderwithnewmoderndimensionsoncon-sumerbehaviorfromsocioeconomicperspectiveunder4differentsections

ThestructureofthebookhasbeendesignedtoachievetheoverallobjectivesofthebookastoprovidedeeperconceptualunderstandingofConsumerEngagementandBuyingBehavioraswellasrevealingdifferentconceptual/theoreticalframeworksandsomeinterestingindustrialandcorporatecases

RATIONALE OF THE SEQUENCE OF THE CHAPTERS

WITHIN THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS

Section1‘SocialPerspectivesofConsumerBehaviorandEngagement’beginswithacontributionbyIoannaPapasolomou(Chapter1)representingtheconsumeractivism.Thischapterdelineatestheconceptofconsumerismasconsumermovementthathasafar-reachingeffectonconsumerbehaviorwhichcloselystaysinsocio-economiccontext.Thechapterrevealsallthenecessariesofconsumerismintegratedpartofconsumermovement

CrystallizingthebasicimportanceofconsumeractivismandconsumermovementChapter2ofthesectionbyDursunYenerillustratesconsumerboycottsasaspecificdominanttoolofconsumeractivismormovement.Inthisperspective,thechapterhasclarifiedthedefinitionofconsumerboycottsaswellasthemotivationalfactorsforparticipatinginboycotts

ThethirdchapterbyLisaWatsonandAnneM.Lavackofthesectionillustratesthefuel-efficientvehiclesanditsrolesonthesocialmarketing.Thischapterexaminesthemarketforfuelefficientvehicles(FEVs)andalternatefuelvehicles(AFVs),includingadiscussionofconsumerwillingnesstotradeper-sonalcomfortinordertobuymorefuel-efficientvehicles,andconsumerpricesensitivitywithregardtopurchasinghigher-pricedalternativefuelvehiclesincludinghybrid-electricvehicles

Thelastchapterofthesection(Chapter4)byVioletaSimaandIleanaGeorgianaGheorghehasexplainedthecustomersatisfactionlevelinconsumptionofgreenproducts,theappliedchaptersofthepreviouschapters.Inthischaptertheauthorsproposeanewapproachofthedimensionsoftheevaluationmodelforcustomersatisfactionincludinganewone,calledTheGreenDimension.Animportantgoalwasidentifyingthedriversoftheconsumerpurchasing.Theauthorsidentifiedthreemainspecificlevelsofthegreendimensionofcustomersatisfaction.Theyarerelatedto:Company,Product/service,andPrice

xvii

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Section2‘ConsumerBehaviorandEngagementintheNexusofMarketingandTechnology’startswithaverytrendytopicbyAnaIsabelJiménez-Zarco,AsherRospigliosi,MaríaPilarMartínez-Ruizand Alicia Izquierdo-Yusta (Chapter 5) of consumer behavioral study marketing 4.0 in enhancingconsumer-brandengagementthroughthetoolofbigdataanalysis.Thechapterisparticularlydiscuss-ingthemeansofunderstandingmarketing4.0andhowitisgrowingandhowarangeoftechnologiesincludinginternetandsocialmediacanbeusedforthisinnovativemarketingstrategyandtoenhanceconsumerbrandrelationship

Interlinkingthepreviouschapterthesecondchapterofthissection(Chapter6)byAngeloBonfantifocusesonsignificanceofeffectivesurveillanceinserviceencounters.Thechapterhasproposedatheo-retical/conceptualframeworkthathasprovidedasolidgroundidentifyingsomesignificant/importantdimensionsofservicemanagement

sumerinformationsystemsinaparticularsector,frommoreconceptual,toaparticularsector,interactivetelevision.Infact,thechapteraimstopursuethisagendabyprimarilyusingdesignscienceresearch,supplementedbyotherresearchmethodsasneeded.Theexpectedcontributionsincludenewinsightsintoeffectivemanagementprocessesforservicedesign,abetterunderstandingofissuesofintegrationofinformationsystemsdevelopmentpracticesusedtodevelopconsumerinformationsystems,andthedevelopmentofmethodsforrequirementsdiscoveryforserviceinnovation.Thesethreecomponentsaimtocontributetoaholisticevaluationofconsumerinformationsystems

Theverynextchapter(Chapter7)byTuureTuunanenandMichaelD.Myers,hasfocusedoncon-ThenextChapterofthesection(Chapter8)byTuureTuunanen,LesleyGardnerandMartinBastekhasrevealedtheconsumerinformationsysteminaparticularemergingmarketinNewZealand.Infact,thischapterisprovidingapictureregardingconsumerinformationbyprovidingasortofempiricalevidencethoughinitiallypresentsatheoreticalframeworkintheearlierstage.Thus,thischaptercanbeconsideredasanimmediateapplicationoftheconceptualdiscussionsofconsumerinformationsystemoutlinedinthepreviouschapter

siveempiricalstudyofthenexusofmarketingandtechnology.Thechapterfocusesontheactivitiesofe-commercefromboththepartofconsumersandentrepreneursinaNorthernFinland.Throughadetailempiricalinvestigation,thechapterhasalsopointedoutthechallengesthatSMEsfacewhilestartinge-commerceactivitiesinNorthernFinland.Thus,thischapterisasourceofdetailempiricalinvestiga-tionanddataoftheconceptualdevelopmentsofthesectionmadebytheearlierchaptersofthesection.Section3‘ConsumerBehaviorandEngagementfromamacroeconomiccontext’containstwochaptersfromabroadersocio-economicperspective.Thefirstchapterofthesection(Chapter10)bySadullahÇelikandEmelBaydanassessesthebehaviorofemergingstockmarketsduringtheturmoilusingweeklydataforBrazil,China,India,Indonesia,Russia,SouthAfricaandTurkeywithUSasthebenchmarkforJanuary2003–March2014whilethelastchapterofthissection(Chapter11)byÖzlemTaşsevenhasportrayedsomeveryimportantsocioeconomicfactorsanddeterminantsofcapacityutilizationparticularlyfromaspecificcountrylikeTurkey.Inthisperspective,thosewellimportantsocio-economicdimensionofconsumptionandconsumerbehaviorperspectivelikeindustrialproduction,grossdomesticproductgrowthrate,unemploymentrate,consumerexpenditures,financialvariablessuchasreturnonBIST100index,exchangerateofcurrencybasket,interestrates,surveyvariablessuchasconsumerconsumptionindex,businesstendencysurveyandsurveyofexpectationsisinvestigatedusingdatabetween2006and2015forTurkey

Thelastchapterofthesection(Chapter9)byRaunoRuskoandJoniPekkalaisanentirecomprehen-xviii

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tiononindustryandcorporatecaseswhichhasclearlyoutlinedsomedominantcasestudiesbothfromthetotalindustrialsectorandtheparticularcorporatecontext.Thefirstchapterofthesection(Chapter12)bySandraMariaCorreiaLoureiroprovidesaproposedframeworkwiththestate-of-artonconsump-tion,anti-consumptionandsubjectivewell-beingandastudyintoruraltourismcontext.Normally,thischaptercontributestotheexistingliteraturegivinginsightsforabetterunderstandingoftheproblematicofconsumers,anti-consumersandsubjectivewell-beingasawholeandruraltourismconsumptionexperienceindustryinparticularly.Thenextchapterofthesection(Chapter13)byIreneSamantaisacomprehensiveempiricalstudywhichprovidesaveryimportantinsightonthepharmaceuticalsectorinGreece.AsperthechaptertheimportanceoftheMarketingStrategy(asoutlinedinthechapter)inthecurrenteconomicconditionsprovidesapracticalindicationofmarketingdecisionmakingandifmanagedcarefullyandcloselymonitoreditcanofferanumberofdirectcompetitivebenefitstotheindustries.Thenextchapterofthesection(Chapter14)bySandaRenkoandTomislavGregurprovidestheat-mosphericsperspectivesofretailsettingwherebasedontheempiricalresearchthechapterprovidesaninsightintotheroleofmusicasanimportantelementinretailstoreatmosphere.Thechapterconcludesthatmusichasasignificantinfluenceonconsumerbehavior,andthatretailersmustensurethattheyareplayingmusicthattheirtargetmarketslikeintheirstores

Section4‘ConsumerBehaviorandEngagement:IndustryandCorporateCases’isadedicatedsec-Thelasttwochapters(Chapter15)byElenaCandelo,CeciliaCasalegnoandChiaraCiveraand(Chapter16)byEricViardotandPetraA.NylundarespecificindustrialcaseswhereChapter15hasempiricallyinvestigatedaboutthesustainabilityandCSR(CorporateSocialResponsibility)practicesinMcDonald’sItalywhileChapter16isadetailcasestudyonZararegardingtheeffectivenessofpursuingacustomercentricmarketingapproachtothedigitalmarket

Thevalueofthebookcanbesummarizedasfollows:

1. Detailedconceptualandphilosophicalunderpinningsonnewtrendyconsumerengagementandbuyingbehaviorbroadlyfromthesocio-economicperspective

2. Anextensivereviewofconceptualandempiricalstudiesinthisareafromnew,dynamicinnovativeandinternationalcontextsandperspectivesontheconsumerengagementandbuyingbehavior.3. Interestinginsightsfromsomeindustrialcaseslikeontourismsector,pharmaceuticalsector,retailsectorandsomecorporatecaseslikeMcDonaldsandZara

4. Recommendationstoguidepractitionerstosuccessfullyimplementtheconceptinpractice.5. Ingeneral,asynthesisonsomeverynewnovelandemergingconcepts,theoriesandpracticesre-latedtomoderneraofconsumerengagementandbuyingbehaviorinthesocio-economicdomain

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Acknowledgment

Thejourneyofpublicationofaneditedreferencebookisachallengingandverydifficulttaskwhereacollectiveanddisciplinedsupportishighlyrequired.Wewouldliketogratefullyacknowledgetheselflesssupportofpeoplewhoextendedtheirhandstohelpustomakethisprojectsuccessful.Firstofall,wesincerelythankthechapterauthorsfortheirvaluablecontributionstothisendeavor.InthisregardsincethebookismainlyacollectionofenhancedchapterswherethechapterswerepreviouslypublishedbypriorIGIGlobalPublication,wewouldliketoexpressoursincerethankstotheeditorsofthosebooksfromwhichthesechaptershavebeenselected.Inaddition,manythanksgotothereviewerswhoreviewedthreenew/freshsubmissions.Furthermore,wewouldliketoacknowledgethefriendlyandsupportiveroleoftheeditorialstaffofIGIGlobal,fortheirrelentlesshelpandsupportindifferentstagesofthemanuscriptdevelopment.Last,butdefinitelynotleast,weareverygratefultoallourfamilymembersfortheircontinuousencouragementandinspirationtomakethisprojectasuccess

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Section 1

Social Perspectives of Consumer

Behavior and Engagement

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is closely related to the concept of social responsibility (CSR) and subsequently societal marketing There

is evidence in the literature to suggest that in an era of increasing social problems and environmental challenges, there is a need for CSR and sustainable marketing In fact, the second definition of consumerism is inextricably linked with CSR and societal marketing The chapter is conceptual in nature and provides a review of some of the latest trends in the field such as boycotting, sustainable consumption, internet activism, anti-branding, Fair trade, green consumerism, and sustainable marketing The dis- cussion is concluded by providing some suggestions to practitioners and directions for future research.

INTRODUCTION

The concept of consumerism has been explored by several academics (Bloom and Greyser, 1981; Bloom and Smith, 1986; Greyser and Diamond, 1974; Greyser, 1977) The term consumerism is linked to the behavior of organizations and the expectations of the society Corporations should identify and define their purpose and objectives in a way that align with the expectations of society If customers lack trust

in businesses because they are not meeting the customers’ and society’s expectations then they may be perceived as unnecessary, they may be heavily criticized, accused and boycotted In the 21st century consumers have become more caring and socially aware, moving towards a more responsible and re-sponsive attitude to issues which may not directly concern them such as Third World exploitation The mass media and social media highlight that there is increased consumer and public concern about health

The Concept of “Consumerism”

from a Consumer Activist Perspective

Ioanna Papasolomou

University of Nicosia, Cyprus

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The Concept of “Consumerism” from a Consumer Activist Perspective

issues, animal welfare, environmental protection, child labour and ethical trading The current trend in Europe, largely due to the current economic crisis and the masses of refugees moving from the Middle East into EU countries, is for consumers to engage in more socially responsible behavior, move away from leading a life of excessive consumption and materialism, towards more enduring values such as respect, compassion, and empathy Similarly, there is evidence in the press and literature suggesting that the business sector has become more responsive to social and environmental problems and engage more

in societal and sustainable marketing Consumerism has the potential to play a constructive role in ing a sustainable business environment by emphasizing for example consumer awareness, fair trading, codes of conduct and ethical business practices It motivates managers to adopt a new way of thinking beyond the narrow boundaries of generating short-term sales and profits, and more towards adopting a sustainable approach aimed at safeguarding the quality of life of future generations

build-EVOLUTION AND FUNDAMENTAL DEFINITIONS OF CONSUMERISM

When the term “Consumerism” first made its appearance in the academic literature it was coined with the over-consumption of goods and services Veblen (1899) studied the newly emergent middle class

at the turn of the twentieth century and wrote a detailed social critique of conspicuous consumption According to Veblen (1899) the upper social class at the time engaged in practices of conspicuous con-sumption and conspicuous leisure However, the term has acquired several meanings over time based

on different perspectives The first perspective of consumerism views the term as:

1 The manipulative business activities to entice consumers to buy products,

2 The second perspective holds the idea that consumerism is the movement that aims as ascertaining consumers’ rights, and

3 The third perspective refers to consumption as a way of life or ideology (Yani-de-Soriano and Slater, 2009)

The First Definition: The “Manipulative Perspective”

Vance Packard (1957) stated that consumerism is related to strategies and techniques that aim at couraging consumers to consume more hence, expanding their needs and desires According to this view, consumerism is associated with the overuse of promotion, aggressive selling and advertising Packard (1957) expressed his concern in relation to the overuse of advertising highlighting the risk of manipulating customers into over-consuming The evolution of the marketing management orientation was characterized by a phase of aggressive selling whereby marketers were mostly concerned with stock levels and as a result businesses focused their efforts on aggressive and promotion This philosophy, which was identified by Kotler et al (2008), has been known as the selling orientation This orientation nourished the “manipulative perspective” whereby businesses focused on aggressive selling rather than customer focus which was at the heart of the marketing orientation and stipulated intense criticism for exploitative and manipulative behavior on the part of businesses

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The Second Definition: Consumers’ Movement in the USA

In an effort to eliminate manipulative techniques and aggressive marketing, the US public authorities enacted legislation for the protection of consumers’ rights At the same time consumers joined efforts and formed associations to protect themselves hence, providing the foundation for the second definition

of consumerism This definition is founded on reactions portrayed by the society to the type of keting used in the first definition According to this perspective “consumerism is defined as a “social movement seeking to augment the rights and powers of buyers in relation to sellers (Kotler, 1972, p 49) Later on, Kotler (2000, p 152) redefined consumerism as follows: “an organized movement of citizens and government to strengthen the rights and powers of buyers in relation to sellers.” Mcllhenny (1990) describes consumerism as a citizens’ movement with demands on suppliers of goods and services with social, ecological and political implications The consumer movement emerged in the USA with President Kennedy’s 1962 call for a “Bill of Consumer Rights” (Lampman, 1988) This specific view

mar-of consumerism, known also as consumer activism, is similar to another social movement known as

environmentalism, which is defined as: “an organized movement of concerned citizens and government

agencies to protect and improve people’s living environment (Kotler et al., 2005, p 184) Both ments are closely related to the “societal marketing concept”, A philosophy that holds that businesses today should attempt to balance the organizational goals for profitability, customers’ needs and society’s wellbeing (Kotler and Keller, 2006, p 22)

move-The Third Definition: move-The Consumer Culture

According to Yani-de-Soriano and Slater (2009) the third definition of consumerism refers to tion as a means for happiness and wellbeing Murphy (2000, p 636) defines this type of consumerism as: “the doctrine that the self cannot be complete without a wealth of consumer goods and that goals can be achieved and problems solved through proper consumption.” He moves on to suggest that from

consump-an economic perspective this consumer culture reflects the emphasis of economies from exchconsump-ange or production to consumption From a social perspective, the notion of a consumer culture is founded on the notion of acquiring products as a form of communicating the owner’s wealth and using them as “status symbols” Consumers use these products as a form of signaling to others their social standing and power Slater (1997, p 31) posits that “it is partially through the use of goods and services that we formulate ourselves as social identities and display these identities.” The third definition of consumerism links personal happiness with material consumption Abela (2006) and Burroughs and Rindfleisch (2002) claim that “consumption as a means of happiness and well-being can have detrimental consequences for consumers and society”

As stated in the abstract, the chapter examines the concept of consumerism in the context of sumer movement/consumer activism This perspective uses the terms “consumerism” and “consumer protection” or “consumer activism” as synonyms The movement is undertaken on behalf of consumers

con-to promote and protect consumer rights It promotes the adoption of practices such as honest packaging and advertising, product guarantees, improved safety standards, environmental protection, and not test-ing products on animals In essence, consumer activism is a movement aimed at regulating the products, services, methods, and standards of manufacturers, sellers, and advertisers in the interests of the buyer

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CONSUMER ATTITUDES/CONCERNS ON CONSUMERISM ISSUES

Over the last decade, a number of studies attempted to investigate the consumer attitudes towards ing and consumerism issues (Keown, 1982; Dubinsky and Hensel, 1984) The majority of these studies were carried out in different national settings

market-Barksdale and Darden (1972) showed that 70% of respondents in the USA believed that most facturers were not satisfactorily handling complaints associated with the quality of products, reliability and safety It was widely shared that firms were promoting products that were potentially dangerous for people’s health and life Studies that were carried out in Venezuela and Norway (Arndt et al 1980), England (French et al., 1982) and in other countries (Barksdale et al 1982) revealed common problems associated with high prices, lack of product quality, lack of adequate repair and maintenance services, deceptive advertising and ineffective handling of complaints Wee and Chan (1989) identified that con-sumers in Hong Kong tend to have more favorable attitudes towards marketing than those in the USA mainly due to better marketing practices in Hong Kong Studies carried out by Anon (2003); Bhushan (2003); Brunk (1973); Koslow (2000); and Lisa (2004) support that the majority of consumers share the perception that corporations do not practice business ethics and they are not socially responsible.Darley and Johnson (1993) studied marketing and consumerism issues in multiple countries: Singapore, India, Nigeria and Kenya They found differences among the countries but some degree of disagreement was identified as well In a study carried out by Uray and Menguc (1996) it was evident that consum-ers also had negative perceptions towards the consumerism practices Varadarajan et al (1990) showed that consumers were dissatisfied with marketing practices and desired greater government regulation In general, consumers’ degree of awareness towards consumerism issues varies significantly across demo-graphic profiles especially in terms of age, gender, education qualification and income level This finding was corroborated by Panni (2006) who found that consumers’ concerns towards the consumerism issues significantly vary across demographic profiles Bhuian et al (2001) revealed that young adults with a business education background in Saudi Arabia had more favourable perceptions towards marketing and consumerism than those with a non-business background Evidence generated by empirical studies for example Berkowitz and Lutterman (1968); Bourgeois and Barnes (1979); Anderson and Cunningham (1972); found that the individuals who are most likely to express consumerist views toward marketing tend to be younger Authors like Hustad and Pessemier (1973); Bourgeois and Barnes (1979); Peattie (1992); and Ruiz, Arcas and Cuestas (2001) claimed that the socially conscious consumers are typically female Anderson and Cunningham (1972); Hustad and Pessemier (1973); Kinnear et al., (1974); and The Roper Organization (1971) found that consumerists tend to have higher socio-economic profiles (Berkowitz and Lutterman1968; Bourgeois and Barnes 1979) Knauer (1971) argued that in general consumerist issues tend to attract the better educated and better informed consumers

manu-At the micro level, studies have explored consumer dissatisfaction with and complaints about specific products and services At a macro level, national and cross-national studies have addressed consumer attitudes towards marketing practices, consumerism and government regulations (Barksdale 1982; French

et al 1982; Gaski and Etzel 1986) While most studies reported to date are cross-sectional in nature, there have been recent attempts to provide a longitudinal perspective of consumers’ attitudes towards marketing In a study carried out by Lysonski et al (2003) it was found that consumers appeared to be less negative about marketing and consumerism issues since 1986 This is largely due to the fact that marketers have adopted a more proactive approach towards consumers’ complaints and discontents The study revealed that consumers have relatively more favorable attitudes toward product quality and

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when compared to the attitudes held 15 years ago, consumers today believe that manufacturers are more customer centered in that they make products that satisfy customers’ needs The results from this study indicate that there has been a significant change in consumer perceptions over the last 15 years (2001

vs 1986) and that manager demonstrated more responsiveness to consumer issues Nevertheless, this scenario differs from country to country where is some countries it is found that the consumers are still skeptical regarding the firms’ engagement and involvement towards consumerism practices (Panni, 2006 and Ismail and Panni, 2008)

CONSUMER ACTIVISM

This section provides a definition for consumer activism based on the context in which it will be cussed in the chapter and explores its influences and limitations According to Jacobsen and Dulsrud (2007, p.470), consumer activism, is often referred to as “ethical shopping, ethical purchase behavior, ethical consumption, political consumption, political consumerism, and critical consumerism” It is as-sociated with the consumers’ buying choices which are influenced by ethical and/or moral factors when making purchase decisions The consumer attempts to give an ethical and a moral impact through his purchase (ibid.)

dis-There are various theories as to why consumer activism exists and has evolved One such theory is based on consumer’s lack of trust in government’s ability to address ethical or moral issues concerning trade (Hertz, 2001) Klein (2000) on the other hand, states that: “Rather than improved human rights flowing from increased trade, ‘governments ignore human rights in favour of perceived trade advantages” (p 338) This statement suggests that the private sector uses consumer activism as a way to compensate for the inability of the public sector to address human rights The legal structures of the various countries

in the world either restrict or encourage consumer activism For example, the European Union adheres

to international treaties and domestic legislation which appear to encourage or protect consumer ism For example, treaties that contain provisions relating to ethical trade (Art 34, 35, 36 and 39.1b of the TFEU) and personal freedoms which allow, if not encourage, consumer activism (Art 19.1, 20.2d,

activ-23 and 24 of the TFEU) in Lohman (2012)

Jacobsen and Dulsrud (2007) describe consumer activism as a means to “supplement and extend ‘the arm of law’” (p 475) In other words, consumer activism supports or better compensates for the inability

of the government to take corrective measures to counteract unethical trading, controversial trade or other practice which harms the interests of consumers For example, consumer activists are credited for the removal of genetically modified foods from the shelves of Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom

in 1999, which was followed by other food producers and retailers

BOYCOTTING

Hertz (2001) and other authors support that businesses must consider the potential negative impact that consumer activism (e.g in the form of boycott) could have on the viability of their business Boycot-ting, negative publicity and negative press coverage can have a detrimental impact on the reputation of a firm According to Hertz (2001) 20% of world consumers are considered activists In the US consumer activists are about 40% of consumers She refers to a study that showed that three out of five consumers

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in Britain and as many as 75% of the consumers in the United States had already boycotted a product

on the basis of ethical choice (pp 119-120) A simple definition of boycotting is: “to refuse to buy, use,

or participate in (something) as a way of protesting: to stop using the goods or services of (a company, country, etc.) until changes are made” (Boycott, n d.) The Nestlé boycott of 1977 is an excellent ex-ample since it demonstrates how boycotting can bring change Nestlé hired women who even though were not nurses asked them to wear a nurse uniform and pretend to be ones in order to distribute free samples of baby formula in an effort to generate sales in third world countries The free samples had the right quantity to dry up the mother’s breast milk from lack of use, eventually forcing the mother to purchase the formula The world-wide boycott against the Nestlé resulted in the The International Code

of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes by the World Health Organization (WHO) (Breastfeeding, 2011).Boycotts are very powerful in creating social change and achieving specific campaign goals such withdrawing products from the market or stopping harmful organizational practices The Ethical Con-sumer site (Consumer, n.d.) presents several examples to illustrate the power of boycotting some of which are cited in the chapter Among the early examples of boycotting was the one against Safeway which was aimed at ‘forcing’ the company to employ African Americans in 1941 Another example was the boycott in England of sugar produced by slaves In 1791, after Parliament refused to abolish slavery, thousands of pamphlets were printed encouraging the boycott The result of the boycott was a dramatic sales drop by between a third and a half In 2012 Johnson & Johnson reformulated all of its baby products to remove a formaldehyde-releasing preservative This move occurred in response to a report and boycott call from the US Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) over the company’s use of harmful chemicals in its baby shampoo

In 2010 Fruit of the Loom crumbled in the face of pressure from the largest ever student boycott

In an incredible about-face the company re-opened a Honduran factory it had closed after workers had unionised Furthermore, it also gave all 1,200 employees their jobs back, awarded them $2.5 million in compensation and restored all union rights The campaign started in 2009 when United Students Against Sweatshops started a campaign that led to 96 US colleges severing their contracts with the company Ten British universities followed suit The campaign was estimated to have cost the company 50million

SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION

The “consumer movement” or “consumer activism” provided an environment that has been conducive

to the growth of sustainable consumption Consumerism has the potential to play a constructive role

in building a sustainable business environment by emphasizing for example consumer awareness, fair trading, codes of conduct and ethical business practices It encourages managers to think beyond the narrow boundaries of generating short-term sales and profits It motivates them to adopt a sustainable approach to production which is not at the expense of the standard of living of future generations.Several studies in the existent literature like (Biswas, Liecata, Mckee, Pullig and Daughtridge, 2000; Mainieri, Barnett, Unipan and Oskamp, 1997; and Schwepker and Cornwell, 1991) revealed that a growing number

of consumers are becoming inclined towards purchasing green and environmentally friendly products Others, Beach-Larsen (1996); Eagly and Kulesa (1997); and Swenson and Wells (1997) found that there

is a growing environmental consciousness among consumers, that leads to a general positive attitude towards brands that are perceived as environmentally sound As a result, managers and corporations may find it difficult to neglect or avoid this issue in designing their corporate strategy

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Heightened corporate responsibility emerged as a phenomenon in the 1980s and early 1990s when corporations such as Cadbury’s, Body Shop, and Ben & Jerry’s were increasingly adopting ethical con-sumerism in their purchasing and supply policies Food retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Safe-way have played a crucial role in the green consumer revolution There are also examples of businesses that had to replace components of their products that were found to be dangerous or harmful for use or consumption such as Johnsons and Johnsons that replaced the baby acre oil bottles in the USA market following a legal dispute as well as Sony which replaced the battery of the Dell brand at their own cost These examples suggest that the business sector has become more responsive to consumerism, societal and sustainable marketing The increasing acceptance of consumerism by managers and corporations

is founded on its positive role on society and the economy Corporations that have realized this have identified and defined their purpose and objectives in a way that aligns with the expectations of society.The emphasis on sustainable consumption is also highlighted by several international bodies and as-sociations The European Commission (2012) stipulates that Europe’s environmental footprint is one of the largest on the planet and suggests that if the rest of the world lived like Europeans, it would require the resources of more than two and a half earths to support all humans The European Environment Agency (2012) claims that ‘the consumption of products and services impacts the environment in many different ways’ implying that ‘the things we buy contribute, directly or indirectly through the product life cycle, to climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss and resource depletion.’ According to the agency unsustainable consumption is the main cause of all environmental issues The World Economic Forum (2012) emphasizes the importance of businesses reshaping demand by making sustainable consumption more personal and relevant to consumers and by investing in redesigning products and services to deliver increased value with fewer resources According to Jackson (2006), sustainable consumption appears to

be a major challenge for corporations as they will have to carry out major improvements in the efficiency with which they turn resources into finished goods whilst from the perspective of consumers, sustainable consumption involves changes in consumer behavior and lifestyles as consumers need to consume more efficiently, responsibly and of course in fewer quantities

Consumerism and sustainable consumption have also flourished as a result of consumers becoming more caring, environmentally and socially aware and are demanding a say in the production, processing and resourcing of the products that they regularly purchase The increasingly well-informed consumers and their heighten expectations and demands have put pressure upon marketers for fairly traded products, for guarantees of the ethical claims marketers make about their products, for safe products, and for the careful disposal of waste This trend puts pressure on the business sector to respond and adapt but it also creates a market opportunity for companies since those that manage to respond quickly to the shopping public’s concern about for example issues such as health, animal welfare and environmental damage have the potential to build a strong reputation, a consumer preference and gain a competitive advantage.Another trend which nourishes sustainable consumption and consumerism is that an increasing number of consumers move away from leading a life of excessive consumption and materialism towards more enduring values such as respect, compassion, and empathy Similarly, studies have supported the emergence of environmentally and ethically conscious consumers who have shown increased demand for fairly-traded products These consumers demonstrate an increased demand for fairly traded products which led to the development of the “Fair Trade Label” introduced by the Fair Trade Foundation, an independent fair trade validating body that is supported by many charities The consumers of the 21st

century are becoming more caring and socially aware, moving towards a more responsible and responsive attitude to issues which do not directly concern them such as Third World exploitation There is evidence

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of increased consumer concern about health, animal welfare, environmental protection, and ethical ing Numerous media reports on sustainable development, fair pay, safety, fair trading, and a steady cash flow for Third World producers are regularly featured in newspapers with a mass circulation such as The Guardian, The Financial Times, Marketing Week, and The Independent (Cowe, 1993; Hargreeves 1994; Matthews 1994) The media often extensively covers stories on exploitation and scandalous corporate behavior Strong (1996) makes reference to ethical consumerism, a marketing concept which has emerged only recently in the UK but like green consumerism is a source of motivating consumers to become more actively ecologically and ethically aware gaining a competitive advantage for organizations that are socially and ethically conscious The emergence of ethical consumerism has been supported by a number of features: the evolving caring consumer of the 1990’s; pressure group support for Third world countries; fair trade issues endorsed by media interest, heightened corporate responsibility, and supplier power Strong’s study revealed that consumers were not solely interested in price, quality, delivery and environmental issues but were also concerned about the ethical dimension of the marketing exchange This finding highlights the importance of managers realizing the power of ethical consumerism which drives consumers towards brands with an ethical marketing focus

trad-INTERNET ACTIVISM

Internet activism is a synonym to online activism, digital campaigning, digital activism, online ing, electronic advocacy, cyberactivism, e-campaigning, and e-activism) It refers to the use of electronic communication technologies such as social media, especially Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, e-mail, and podcasts to enable faster communication by citizen movements and the delivery of local information to

organiz-a lorganiz-arge organiz-audience (Internet organiz-activism, n d.)

The internet has increased the power of consumers over businesses as it enables them to express their views and reach other consumers in geographically dispersed areas in the fight for a common cause The internet enables activists to voice their concerns and express their dissatisfaction in terms of unethical organizational practices NGOs supporting environmental and social causes use the internet extensively

in their campaigns For example, Greenpeace has become incredibly adept at online campaigning, with its petitions often gaining millions of signatures Its latest ‘Save the Arctic’ petition has over 5 million signatures (Consumer, n d.)

Another example of an NGO that uses internet campaigning is SumOfUs, a global organisation that runs online petitions for “a better global economy.” They often campaign against corporate malprac-tice, the fair treatment of workers and better environmental standards WikiLeaks is another important campaigning organisation which has released some classified documents on its site that have helped to shed light onto some of the most unethical behavior exhibited by both governments and corporations (Consumer, n d.)

Undoubtedly, the use of the internet by consumer activists is expanding as it has the potential to make their fights easier at least in terms of creating awareness for their cause and reaching bigger numbers of supporters The popularity of the internet has also provided a fertile ground for the creation of anti-brand communities According to Christodoulides (2009) and Rowley (2004) the new information technology has changed the marketing environment and has created a new reality, one in which the consumers are no longer passive recipients of information and brand value but rather skeptical, critical and sophisticated receivers and senders of information about brands and corporations

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ANTI-BRAND COMMUNITIES: THE NEW FACE OF CONSUMER ACTIVISM

Anti-branding covers different aspects of negativity Anti-consumption, word of hate, consumer rebellion, boycotts, counter-cultural movements are just few areas which are present as a common purpose in the minds of activists (Cherrier, 2009) Social network sites have given more power to consumer activists

in the sense that their “voices” can reach more people on the social web According to Krishnamurthy and Kucuk (2009, pp 1119) “anti-brand web sites are spaces that focus negative attention on a specific targeted brand.” These sites use negative visual expressions, memorable domain names (often including the brand name itself) and offensive language to damage the brand’s identity (Krishnamurthy & Kucuk 2009) According to Krishnamurthy & Kucuk (2009) and Kucuk (2008) anti-brand sites are usually community-oriented and they are often used to exchange negative experiences, organize boycotts and lawsuits Complaints expressed on these sites are not only focused around transactional dissatisfaction, they usually evolve around everything from ethical to legal matters (Krishnamurthy & Kucuk 2009) According to Petty (2012) the American federal law protects these sites as long as they do not generate profit or can be confused with the original brand website

Usually, anti-brand communities express their concerns about the corporate unethical practices related

to environmental and human right issues In essence, they unite people with a common moral code of social responsibility, they enable them to share resources and information, to disseminate information

to alert other consumers, to criticize corporate actions, to fight for common causes and to try to make a difference in the society One common view shared by anti-brand activists is that the society is negatively influenced by businesses today (Hollenbeck and Zinkhan, 2006) According to Krishnamurthy and Kucuk (2009, p 1120), anti-branding is a result of “consumer empowerment as a precondition and consumer dissatisfaction as a trigger” The internet provides the anti-brand communities with a platform to dissemi-nate their message, to share information and create awareness, and to facilitate interaction, to advocate and fight for a common cause The internet has become one large contributor to consumer empowerment providing a platform for the formation of anti-brand communities which enable dissatisfied customers to

‘air’ and ‘share’ their dissatisfaction and concerns regarding “branding strategy, irresponsible business practices, anti-consumer business processes and defective products and technologies”(Krishnamurthy and Kucuk, 2009) One example that demonstrates the power of anti-brand communities and social media

is the 2010 Nestlé case of environmental “irresponsibility” In particular, an “anti-social” wave of ments spread on Facebook targeting Nestlé in 2010 Their ‘fan page’ on Facebook was overwhelmed with negative comments regarding the corporation’s unethical use of palm oil, which was destroying the palm tree forests which are a natural habitat of the orangutan species (Guardian.co.uk, 2010) Another example of anti-branding is the Facebook page which is dedicated to ant-branding activity targeting the Apple brand The page is called Anti Apple (Brand) Company and has more than 3,000 page likes Its key purpose is to “Protect Earth & Environment and save the consumers’ MONEY!” It targets all people who in essence dislike Apple products and more importantly the brand itself This page acts as

com-an archival domain gathering all articles discussing Apple Inc failures such as those covering poor duction quality and innovation, those questioning the Apple brand’s trustworthiness and responsibility against customers’, those highlighting undelivered promises for customers as well as negative employee attitudes (Paulikaite, 2015)

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or others in a negative manner Consumers have also become more concerned towards the impact of trading practices on producers According to Boonman, Huisman, Sarrucco-Fedorovtsjv and Sarrucco,

2010, p 4) is:

Fair Trade is responsible production and consumption It is a social and economical development model for companies and families that gives them the opportunity to fulfil their basic needs and develop themselves For consumers Fair Trade is a way to consume in a corporate social responsible way that contributes to the wellbeing of themselves and the producers.

Fair Trade enables consumers who live in the developed world to help producers operating in Third World countries by buying Fair Trade products It enables producers to engage in sustainable develop-ment and consumers to practise responsible consumption (Boonman, Huisman, Sarrucco-Fedorovtsjv and Sarrucco, 2010) Fair Trade is in essence a trading partnership, which is founded on dialogue, in-tegrity, transparency and respect between all trading partners It contributes to sustainable development

by offering better trading conditions and securing the rights of producers and workers especially those working in third world countries

Fair trade began as a way of supporting women in third world countries who created handcrafts as a source of income that were sold internationally Several countries have embraced and engage in fair trade The European Fair Trade Association which was founded in 1987 reports that in 1973 the Netherlands was the first country to be importing “fairly traded” coffee that was sourced from cooperative farmers

in Guatemala Ever since fair trade coffee has become one of the most successful fair trade products in the world Several other products such as tea, cocoa, sugar, wine, fruit juices, nuts, spices, rice, flowers and cotton are distributed worldwide under the FairTrade© brand Fair trade is the “mission” of the EFTA (European Fair Trade Association) which is an association of ten Fair Trade importers in nine European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) EFTA was established informally in 1987 by some of the oldest and largest Fair Trade importers and it gained formal status in 1990

A research carried out by Timothy Devinney in 2006, shows that 54 percent of consumers are ing to pay more for Fair Trade or sustainable products (cited in European Fair Trade Association, n d.) According to TNS NIPO, a Dutch research centre, 55 percent of consumers want to consume in a cor-porate socially responsible way (cited in European Fair Trade Association, n d.) Fair Trade encourages consumers to actively engage in supporting producers through selecting and buying fair trade products According to the official website of the Fair Trade International Organisation: “Not all trade is fair! Farmers and workers at the beginning of the chain don’t always get a fair share of the benefits of trade Fair Trade enables consumers to put this right.” (About Fairtrade, n d.) In essence, Fair Trade offers an alternative approach to traditional trade founded on a partnership between producers and consumers It gives the power to consumers to reduce poverty and ease the daily struggles of producers through their daily shopping When a product carries the FAIRTRADE Mark it means the producers and traders have met Fairtrade Standards which are designed in order to compensate for any imbalances and injustices

will-in tradwill-ing relationships

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GREEN MARKETING

Green marketing, which is also referred to as environmental marketing or ecological marketing, emerged

in the late 1980s and early 1990s The first book entitled “Ecological Marketing” was the outcome of the first workshop on “Ecological Marketing”, which was organised by the American Marketing As-sociation (AMA) in 1975 The AMA workshop attempted to bring together academics, practitioners, and public policy makers to examine marketing’s impact on the natural environment At this workshop ecological marketing was defined as:

The study of the positive and negative aspects of marketing activities on pollution, energy depletion and non-energy resource depletion (Henion and Kinnear, 1976).

According to the American Marketing Association, Green Marketing is: “1 (retailing definition) the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe 2 (social marketing definition) the development and marketing of products designed to minimize negative effects on the physical environment

or to improve its quality 3 (environments definition) the efforts by organisation to produce, promote, package and reclaim products in a manner that is sensitive or responsive to ecological concerns.” (White, 2011) “Green or Environmental Marketing consists of all activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchanges intended to satisfy human needs or wants, such that the satisfaction of these needs and wants occurs, with minimal detrimental impact on the natural environment.” (Polonsky 1994a) McDaniel and Rylander (1993) support that: “Green Marketing is taking shape as one of the key business strategies

of the future, and that the increasing environmental consciousness makes it incumbent on consumer marketers not just to respond to it, but to lead the way in environmental programs.” Several companies have started marketing themselves as green by engaging in activities that enable them to demonstrate their social responsibility towards the physical environment The Dell Corporation focuses on produc-ing green IT products under their strategy called “Go Green with Dell” In addition, Dell products are packaged in eco-friendly packaging The company is also investing in green innovations (Services, n d.) In their official site, Xerox Corporation claims that it focuses towards: “Making Green Work better” and “Saving energy and protecting our climate is our responsibility and our promise” The company is engaged in a number of actions that are directed towards these aims such as: recycling Xerox Supplies and Xerox Equipment and has launched a number of environmental programs that aim at demonstrating the company’s sustainability commitment There are numerous other examples of firms that have strived

to become more environmentally responsible, in an attempt to better satisfy their consumer Donald’s replaced its clam shell packaging with waxed paper because of increased consumer concern relating to polystyrene production and Ozone depletion (Gifford 1991, Hume 1991).Tuna manufacturers modified their fishing techniques because of the increased concern over driftnet fishing, and the resulting death of dolphins (Advertising Age 1991) Shell, Esso, Not all companies promote their environmental activities Coca-Cola has invested large sums of money in various recycling activities, as well as has modified their packaging to minimize its environmental impact it has not these While being concerned about the environment, Coca Cola has not promoted these activities and used them as a promotional tool (Polonsky 1985) Thus, many consumers may not realize that Coke is a very environmentally com-mitted organization Another firm that is very environmentally responsible but does not promote this,

needs.Mc-at least outside the organizneeds.Mc-ation, is Walt Disney World (WDW) WDW has an extensive waste

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ment program and infrastructure in place, yet these facilities are not highlighted in their general tourist promotional activities (Murphy 1985)

The term is closely related to green consumerism Henion and Kinnear (1976) defined green ers as environmentally conscious consumers According to Krishnan (2013) the green consumer is an individual deeply concerned about the environment subsequently someone that only buys products that are environmentally friendly or eco-friendly, products with little packaging or products that are made from natural ingredients The term refers to recycling, purchasing and using eco-friendly products that minimize the damage to the physical environment (Krishnan, 2013) This orientation results in an envi-ronmentally conscious behaviour which influences the purchase choices of consumers so for example, the green consumer will be more likely to buy hybrid cars that emit less carbon dioxide, will be using solar energy to generate electricity and even buying locally grown vegetables and fruits Antil (1984) described green consumerism as a specific type of socially conscious consumer behavior centered around the protection of the physical environment Green consumerism was described as a form of “pro-social” consumer behavior (Weiner and Doescher, 1991) The literature reviewed revealed that consumers today prefer environmentally friendly brands which in essence puts pressure on corporations to adopt ethical and green practices in their interactions with customers, suppliers, dealers, and employees (Bhatia and Jain, 2013) Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious about the environment and the detrimental impact of consumption behavior onto it This has in essence become the ultimate driving force of green marketing

consum-SUSTAINABLE MARKETING: THE DEMAND FOR MORE

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The growth of consumerism has resulted in consumers being critical of questionable business practices and led to the imposition of increasing regulation on the corporate sector Corporate behaviour varies when it comes to responding to consumer issues Some corporations are simply inactive whereas oth-ers have adapted to the growing trend of consumerism Adapting and responding to consumerism has become routine exercise for most businesses operating in the Western part of the world However, in the developing countries, the level of corporate attitude and action has been rather slow Consumers in the least developed countries emphasize the satisfaction of their physiological needs The prevalence

of seller’s market conditions in the least developing countries has also contributed to the low response

of business Consumers in these markets tend to accept whatever it is offered to them and have very little voice in the marketplace (Reddy and Campell 1994; Kaynak 1985; Kaynak et al 1992) Another important factor that contributes negatively to the growth of consumerism in the least developed coun-tries is the lack of a supportive macro-economic environment, which is an essential condition for con-sumerism activity In these countries, consumerism is concerned with micro issues including product safety, packaging, unit pricing, misleading advertising or labeling and product quality In the developed countries consumerism focuses on macro issues such as pollution, poverty, welfare system, health care, tax system and anti-nuclear issues (Kaynak 1985) These areas are reflected in the attitudes and actions

of corporations in the developed world

Sustainable marketing is defined by Kotler et al (2013, p 11) as: “socially and environmentally responsible marketing that meets the present needs of consumers and businesses while also preserv-ing or enhancing the ability of future generations to meet their needs” Marketers have to re-examine

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their attitudes and relationships with social values and responsibilities as worldwide consumerism and environmentalism movements gain ground and prevail Cherrier et al (2012) claim that managers and senior executives have a critical role to play in corporate environmentalism which is defined as “pro-cesses by which firms integrate environmental concerns into their decisions (Banerjee 2002, p 117) The company’s stance towards corporate ethics, environmental concerns and social responsibility has the power to influence customer relationships Customers are no longer indifferent as to the impact of company actions on the well-being of consumers, the society and the environment Today’s consumers expect companies to deliver value in a socially and environmentally friendly way Some companies such

as Marks & Spencer’s, the Body Shop, and others invest in sustainable marketing creating a reputation for being civic minded and responsible They embed social responsibility in their mission statement and company values Marks & Spencer’s 2003-2004 CSR Report focused on five key issues: sustainable raw materials, responsible use of technology, animal welfare, ethical trading and community programmes These issues were identified as being important to consumers

Other companies resist movements such as consumerism and environmentalism and simply follow the legal framework or do the very minimum just to get by However, it can be suggested that today’s consumers who have experienced the impact of the recent global economic crisis, are buying less and look for greater value, as well as demand greater responsibility and accountability from companies as well They are not willing to ignore, forgive or forget corporate unethical behavior, mistakes and scandals

In order to build competitive and sustainable brands, companies need to understand the mindset and concerns of consumers by engaging in a more proactive way with society and its citizens They also need

to instill trust and loyalty with customers to form the foundations for long lasting customer relationships

SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Practitioners need to acknowledge that consumers have become more critical and will scrutinize business activities more than ever before Corporate behavior has a direct impact on the natural en-vironment since the tendency towards materialism leads to environmental destructiveness caused through the increased usage of the earth’s natural resources Subsequently, practitioners have a duty and responsibility to preserve and protect the physical environmental for the current and future generations They need to adopt practices such as recycling, energy efficiency and renew-able sources of energy Managers can also reshape demand towards sustainable consumption by informing and educating consumers through integrated marketing communications that highlights the importance of practicing ethical and green consumerism

• Practitioners need to address the concerns, expectations and demands of an ever-growing number

of green and ethical consumers Similarly, they need to respond to the increasing power of sure groups that campaign for environmental and ethical issues and principles of fair trading More importantly, they need to develop appropriate marketing management strategies that address these concerns, and develop an organizational philosophy that is embedded and guided by ethical, environmental and social responsibility principles

pres-• At times where the uncertain economic environment has touched practically most countries in the developed world and in a world where consumers are more demanding, cynical, and fickle, corporations and brands are faced with the task of becoming more responsible and accountable Corporations cannot afford to ignore the power of consumers and public opinion They need to

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become good corporate citizens and adopt a more proactive approach towards consumerist issues both micro and macro such as fair pricing, advertising ethics, environmentalism, green marketing and sustainability

• Companies need to provide evidence regarding their sustainability agendas through their websites and annual reports as part of their commitment to corporate social responsibility The agendas need to encompass environmental and social issues: environmental initiatives that have the poten-tial to reduce waste, energy and resources and social initiatives such as training, health and safety

at work to increase employee security and efficiency amongst the workforce as well as morale and productivity

• As the level of importance and acceptance of consumerism increases in a society, the likelihood of consumer pressure for increased regulation will increase and a favorable commitment of business translated into responsive action is likely to follow Companies that are guided by consumerist issues, have embedded them into their principles and have turned them into practice are the ones that will see them as an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage, strengthen their corporate reputation and instill customer trust and loyalty at a time which are mostly needed

• Practitioners cannot ignore the power of social media which enables consumers to share tion, perceptions, feelings and experiences with others regarding brands and corporations There

informa-is need for continuous monitoring of the information flow between consumers, customers, other publics and the society in general to ensure that there is no scrutiny, boycotting, cynicism and other unfavorable publicity targeting the business, its products and services

FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

Businesses need to be aware of consumer attitudes towards issues related to consumerism as these have direct implications on customers’ perceptions of brands and corporations Marketers will have to adjust their marketing strategies and practices to accommodate and respond to the issues that are prioritized

by consumers Future research could focus on exploring the adoption of sustainable marketing in the European Business sector and particularly, the nature of activities and business practices pursued The implementation of a cross-European research study can enable the comparison of data which could re-veal similarities and differences between businesses operating in different European countries There is also a need to investigate how corporations deal with boycotting and anti-brand communities Another study could focus on exploring whether businesses in Europe are engaging in fair-trade activities and which are these activities, and whether companies have measured consumers’ attitudes towards business activities that support fair trade Finally, future research could also focus on exploring the implementa-tion of green marketing by businesses operating in Europe and internationally

CONCLUSION

The chapter discusses consumerism from the perspective of safeguarding the interests and rights of sumers, a view which is closely related to the concept of social responsibility (CSR) and subsequently societal marketing Undoubtedly, the increasing social problems and environmental challenges, highlight the need for CSR and sustainable marketing In analyzing this relationship in this chapter one cannot

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ignore the increasing importance of some of the latest trends in the field such as boycotting, sustainable consumption, internet activism, anti-branding, Fair trade, green consumerism, and sustainable market-ing One cannot doubt that corporations and practitioners are faced with many developments, multiple stakeholders, and new challenges but the most important one is perhaps the consumer market Consumers have been empowered in many ways primarily due to the advancements in the fields of technology and communications Their perceptions and experiences have the power to either harm or enhance corporate reputation, and this can be done within seconds through the use of social media So perhaps now more than ever before consumerism should be included in the agenda of top management and addressed through

a combination of initiatives and activities that are closely coordinated and managed to ensure success

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